The early reviews for The whale suggests that Brendan Fraser will be a serious contender for Best Actor at the Academy Awards next year. The Darren Aronofsky-directed film, which hits theaters in December, stars Fraser in what could be his most challenging and emotional role yet. He plays a 600-pound recluse who, after abandoning his family years before for a new life with a gay lover, hopes to reconnect with his teenage daughter (Sadie Sink) before it’s too late.
Earlier, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson posted on social media about the attention Fraser had received based on his acclaimed performance in the film. He also shared the video of Fraser getting a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival that brought him to tears. In a new chat with MTV News (via ScreenRant), Johnson reiterated his support for Fraser, even going so far as to say that his . want to see Mommy is coming back co-star who will be on stage at the Oscars next year with that golden statue in his hand. As The Rock puts it:
“I want him to go all out, man. I want to see him on that Oscar stage, holding that sucker up, and I’m sure it’s going to be a great speech. When they came up to me and asked me to To play The Mummy Returns, that was Brendan’s movie. He had to agree. He had no idea. We’d never met. We’d never spoken on the phone. And the word I got from our director. Stephen Sommers was, ‘Brendan loves this idea and is so happy to have you in the movie.’ I just came out of WWE I had no acting experience except in WWE I’d never been on a movie set before and all of a sudden I’m in the middle of the Sahara doing The Mummy Returns And I get this nod of approval from the star of the movie. It really meant a lot to me. So many years later I’ve never forgotten it. I see him getting the standing ovation for almost 10 minutes and he’s crying. I loved it, man.”
Brendan Fraser Didn’t Even Meet The Rock While Filming The Mummy Returns
The Rock may appreciate that Brendan Fraser vouches for him when it comes down to it: The mummy returns. That decision is perhaps made all the more special by the fact that the two actors wouldn’t even work together on set. Because CGI was used to shoot Johnson’s character for his scenes with Fraser, they weren’t in the same building at the same time when it came to filming, though Fraser nevertheless appreciates The Rock’s recent love interest.
“I thought that was really nice of him,” Fraser said of Johnson’s support, via Variety. “The first time I met him was at the reception after The Mummy Returns, and we hadn’t met in person before, although we fight on screen. Every time I worked with him, he was just a piece of tape on a baton so it was nice to go hey man how are you? Finally we meet.”
The whale will hit theaters on December 9, 2022.